Editing The Cardigans (section)

===First years: 1992–1994===
[[Peter Svensson]] and [[Magnus Sveningsson]], 
both heavy metal musicians, formed the group on 31 October 1992 in [[Jönköping]], Sweden, with drummer Bengt Lagerberg, guitarist Mattias Alfheim and lead singer [[Nina Persson]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KibzL64UfVo | title=The Cardigans — LIFE: The True Story (With ENGLISH subtitles) | website=[[YouTube]] | date=20 April 2024 }}</ref>

Living together in a small apartment, The Cardigans recorded a demo tape with Persson providing lead vocals on only one of the songs towards the end of the track list. [[A&R]] man Ola Hermanson heard the demo and signed the band to his Trampolene imprint. While recording their first album in 1993, Alfheim left and was replaced by Lagerberg's friend, Lars-Olof Johansson, who remained in the band ever since.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://acommonline.webnode.es/the-cardigans-biography/ | title=The Cardigans Biography :: Acommonline }}</ref>
 
They released their debut album ''[[Emmerdale (album)|Emmerdale]]'' in Sweden and Japan in 1994; it was re-released internationally in 1997. The album included the Swedish radio hit "[[Rise & Shine (The Cardigans song)|Rise & Shine]]", which was later voted the best of 1994 in a poll in ''[[Slitz]]'' magazine.